Snare-drum.



A. A. ROSE.

SNARE DRUM.

APPLlCATIONTlLED JULY,26, 19H.

PatentedJune l5, 1915.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED A. ROSE, OE BELLEVUE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR TO THE RUDOLPH WURLITZER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OE NORTH TONAWANDA, NEW YORK, A. CORPORA- TION OF NEW YORK.

SNARE-DRUM.

Speccation of Letters Patent.

Patented June 15, 1915.

To aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALFRED A. ROSE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bellevue, in the county of Campbell and State of Kentucky, have invented new and useful Improvements in Snare-Drums, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates more particularly to the snare drums of automatic musical instruments, such as pianos, organs, and orchestrions.

Vhen such a drum is inclosed and placed near organ pipes, especially the flute-pipes, the sounding of the latter causes the snares to vibrate when the drum is silent and buzz unpleasantly by contact with the drum-head.

The object of my invention is to overcome this objection, and it consists essentially in mounting the snares on a support or carrier separate from the drum-head, and controlling the carrier by automatic means in such manner that the snares are withdrawn from the drum-head when the drum is silent and are moved against said head whenever the drum is played.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a snare drum embodying the invention, showing the snarecarrier controlled by the pneumatic action of an automatic musical instrument, the snares being in their operative position. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the drum.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both views.

A indicates the body of the drum and B the drum-stick which may be vibrated by any suitable means but is preferably actuated by a pneumatic repeating mechanism controlled by a tracker board C and a perforated music sheet C1. The preferred mechanism shown in the drawings is of a common type and comprises the motor pneumatic D, to the movable board of which the drum-stick is secured; the wind board E containing the suction chamber e; the valve chamber f connected with said suction cham* ber by a port f1 and with the outer atmosphere by ports f2; the double valve g, g1 controlling said ports and actuated by the diaphragm g2 in the suction chamber e; a passage h connecting the motor pneumatic with the valve chamber; ports c', l leading from the top of the valve board E to opposite sides of the diaphragm g2, and the slide valve 2 controlling the last-named ports and connected with the movable board of the motor pneumatic by a rod j. The suction chamber of the repeating mechanism is connected by tubes 7o, k1 with the suction chamber L of the main wind chest L1 of the automatic musical instrument with which the drum is associated. This chest may be of any suitable or well known construction, that illustrated in the drawings containing the usual valve chamber Z connected by ports Z1 with the suction chamber L and by ports Z2 with a chamber Z3 leading to the outer atmosphere; the valves m, m1 controlling the ports Z1, Z2, respectively, and the diapragm or pneumatic m2 for operating said valves. The chamber beneath this diaphragm is connected by a tube m3 with the corresponding duct of the tracker board, so that whenever a drum-perforation of the music sheet registers with said duct the vibrating or repeating mechanism of the drum-stick is actuated, while under other conditions said mechanism remains at rest, in a manner well understood by those skilled in the art.

N indicates the snares of the drum which instead of being stretched over the drumhead, are mounted on the front side of a support or carrier 0 movable toward and from the drum-head to shift the group of snares into or out of contact therewith. This carrier preferably consists of a bar eX- tending diametrically across the drum head at a short distance therefrom and pivotally attached at one end to the rear hoop of the drum by hooks 01 and eyes o2, or other suitable means. The carrier is provided at its ends with nuts or bridges o3, o4 over which the snares are stretched.

At one end the snares are suitably secured to the carrier, while their other ends are attached to or clamped in a follower connected to a tightening device, prefgrably consisting of a longitudinal screw g. This screw engages a threaded opening in said follower and is journaled in a bearing or cleat 1' secured to the back of the carrier, the head of the screw having a cross pin g1 or other suitable means for turning it.

As shown in Fig. 1, the drum is preferably supported in an inclined position, so that when the snare-carrier is released it hangs in a vertical position in which the snares are out of contact with the drum head, as shown by dotted lines.

S indicates a motor pneumatic adapted to swing the snare-carrier forwardly to press the snares against the drum-head when the drum is played. ln the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, this pneumatic -is mounted vertically on the rear side of the wind board E and the arm s of its movable board carries an adjustable screw 1 the headed end of which is amanged to bear against the rear side of the snare-carrier at or near its free lower end, so as to swing the snares against the drum-head when said pneumatic is collapsed, as shown by full lines in Fig. l. This pneumatic is preferably combined with and controlled by the same pneumatic action which cont 1ols the operating devices of the drum-stick, but l do not wish to be limited to that particu-- lar type of mechanism or the details shown inthe drawings, as the same may be modified without departing from the spirit of the invention. lin the construction shown, the interior of the pneumatic S is connected with the valve chamber Z of the wind chest L1 by the tube 7c and a branch tube t.

The operation of the Vdevice is as follows: When a drum-perforation of the music sheet registers with the corresponding tracker duct, the outer atmosphere raises the diaphragm m2 of the main wind chest, shifting the valves m, m1 to the position shown in the drawings. rlhe suction chamber e of the repeating mechanism is thereby placed in communication with the suction chamber L of the main windy chest, causing the motor pneumatic D and the drum stick to vibrate so long1 as the valves fm, m1 remain in that position, in a well known manner. At the same time, the pneumatic S is collapsed, causing its movable board to swing the snare-carrier o forwardly and bringing the snares into their operative position. `When a drum perforation of the music sheet breaks register with the tracker duct, the position of the wind chest valves m, m1 is reversed in a well known manner, cutting off communication between the suction chamber L of said chest and the corresponding chamber c of the repeating mechanism and allowing the drum stick to remain at rest. At the same time the pneumatic S is flushed, withdrawing the screw s1 from the snarecarrier and allowing the latter to recede to the dotted position shown in Fig. l. ln this position, the snares are wholly out of contact with the drum head and any sympathetic vibration of the snares cannot therefore produce the objectionable sounds hereinbefore referred to. TWhen the nent drumperforation of the music sheet comes into action, the snares are again shifted against the drum head, as before described.

The improvement can be readily applied to ordinary snare-drums and as the actuating devices of the snare-carrier may be coininaaeae bined with the pneumatic action of the musical instrument, the use of the invention involves but slight additional cost.

l claim as my invention:

1. The combination of a drum, a support movable toward and from the drum-head, snares mounted on said support, and automatic means for moving said support to press the snares against the drum-head when the drum is played and to withdraw the snares from the drum-head when the drum is silent.

2. YThe combination of a drum, a support movable toward and from the drum-head, snares mounted on said support, and pneu matic means for actuating said support.

3. The combination of the body of a drum, a carrier extending across the head of the drum and pivoted at one end to the body to swing toward and from the drum-head, snares mounted on the inner side of said carrier, and means for swinging the carrier toward the drum-head.

4. The combination of the body of a drum supported in an inclined position, a carrier extending across the head of the drum and pivoted at its upper end to the body to swing toward and from the drum-head, snares mounted on the inner side of said carrier1 and means for swinging the carrier toward the drum-head.

5. rllhe combination of the body of a drum, carrier extending across the head of the drum and pivoted at one end to the body to wing toward and from the drum -head,

snares mounted on the inner side of said carrier, and a pneumatic arranged to act on the free end of the carrier to press the snares against the drum-head.

6. IThe combination of the body of a drum, a carrying bar extending diametrically across the head of the drum and pivoted at one end to the body to swing toward and from the drumhead, snares stretched over the face of said bar, and means for holding said bar against the drum-head- 7. rlhe combination of the body of a drum, a carrying bar extending diametrically across the head of the drum and pivoted at one end to the body to swing toward and from the drum-head, snares stretched over the face of said bar, a motor pneumatic, and an adjustable screw carried by the movable member of said pneumatic and arranged to bear against the rear side of said bar.

8. The combination of a drum, a support movable toward and from the head of the drum, snares carried by said support and facing the drum-head, a follower mounted on said carrier and connected to one end of the snares, and a tightening screw j ournaled on the carrier and engaging said follower.

9. The combination of a drum, a drumstick, gneumatic actuating mechanism for said stick, a carrier movable toward and from the drum-head, snares mounted on the face of said carrier, pneumatic mechanism for actuating the snare-carrier, and automatic controlling means for both said actuating mechanisms constructed to Withdraw the snare-carrier to its inoperative position when the drum is silent and to project the same to its'operative position When the drum is played.

10. The combination of a drum, a drum stick, actuating mechanism for said stick, a carrier movable toward and from the drum head, snares mounted on said carrier, mechanism for actuating the snare-carrier, and automatic controlling means for both said actuating mechanisms constructed to Withdraw the snare-carrier to its inoperative position When the drum is silent and to advance said carrier to its operative position when the drum is played.

fitness my hand this 14th day of July,

ALFRED A. ROSE. Witnesses:

W. H. VENDELL, R. B. MURPHY.

copies of this patent my be obtained for nve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

